Marketing and rural territories. Demand and supply of amenities

Doutoramento em Engenharia Agronómica - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThe development theory of marketing places has been emphasized in recent years, particularly after 2000. An integrated vision of some territory characteristics is used to increase their attractiveness, especially in urban or more developed rural areas. This thesis addresses the issue of rural amenities in supporting rural development from a marketing methodology perspective. With the increasingly greater amount of “rural” consumption, basically by an urban population in Portugal and in Europe, and the recognition of changing attitudes towards the rural environment, it is important to argue the nature of marketing strategies that aim to invert rural abandonment. Case studies – Albufeira do Castelo de Bode located - were used to design the marketing-mix in accord with the main analysis and transverse aspects such as consumer’s habits, demand for endogenous resources, and landscape perceptions that contribute to a better use of territory. The numerous interdependencies identified make problematic the use of marketing tools, in rural territories but this thesis assumes strategies to revitalize rural territories on a rural amenity basis. This is achieved by marketing work on identifying demand, choose targets and communicating the desired rural territories positioning